Rockies trade speedy Raimel Tapia for a slugger from Toronto

A busy offseason for the Colorado Rockies continued on Thursday.

After signing Kris Bryant to a massive deal and extending Ryan McMahon with a big money contract, the Rockies have made a trade. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand was the first to report the news.

Randal Grichuk has been traded from the Blue Jays to the Rockies for Ramiel Tapia, per source.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) March 24, 2022

Raimel Tapia (sorry Mark, you didn’t spell his name right) has been with the Rockies for parts of six MLB seasons. He played 133 games last year, batting .273 with six home runs and 50 RBI. He also stole 20 bases, and that’s what I’ll miss most about him, his electrifying speed. Tapia was never the strongest guy on the team, but he was always a threat on the base paths and could turn a single into a double with ease. That will be hard to replace and missed by fans, as parts of his game were dynamic.

So who did Colorado got back in Randal Grichuk?

The former Cardinal and Blue Jay has played eight MLB seasons, the last four with Toronto. He’s belted 156 home runs and tallied 439 RBI in his career so far. He’s an outfielder, playing centerfield and right field with the Blue Jays last season. He hit just .241 in 2021, but did slug 22 dingers.

It’s pretty obvious why the Rockies and GM Bill Schmidt made this trade. They’re getting away from “small ball” with Tapia and trying to go back to the days of the “Blake Street Bombers” with Bryant, McMahon and now Grichuk. At least there’s some logic to the move, but Tapia provided an element Grichuk certainly can’t with his zero stolen bases in 2021.

We’ll see if the Rockies stay busy the next 15 days, as Opening Day is looming on April 8 against the Dodgers.
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